Impersonating Innocence
by brainthief
Summary: Severus Snape expects to need both his cunning and intellect to gather potions supplies. The source is known to be... uncooperative.


**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I am not her.

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Severus Snape entered the Forbidden Forest with gritted teeth and stalked into the darkness. Despite the sun's merry rays shining down on the Hogwarts grounds, the forest floor never experienced more than shadows. His customary garb of black robes blended in very well.

He balled his fists while he thought of the purpose of his visit and bit back a snarl. _They_ were anything but accommodating. Really, his orders were distasteful and demeaning; he dreaded what was sure to follow.

His ugly master had commanded him to brew a potion and his decrepit master had conceded that he could. Since it was his life on the line Severus found the latter rather presumptuous. One did not disobey the Dark Lord's orders at a whim. Especially if one was also in service of another.

There was no lying or deceit involved in serving two masters this time. The Dark Lord played on Dumbledore's sympathies by threatening his spy with death in case of failure. The result was full access to Hogwarts resources for the Dark Lord's purposes. Albus relied on the Dark Lord's need for a potions master to keep _his_ spy among the Death Eaters. This was a chance to show his skills and further cement his position.

Above all, both masters had been amused. Severus had known as soon as he read over the list of ingredients that both of them felt sadistic pleasure at his hardships. _That_ item among the other ingredients would result in nothing but pure torture. Albus had even had the audacity to laugh in his face when he'd seen the list.

Apart from a scowl he had shown no outward indication as he seethed and raged inside. Severus was a Slytherin and a master Occlumens after all. He was well versed at keeping his thoughts to himself.

Still, every reluctant step he took in this damp place with leaves and rot and filth towards _them_ had increased his trepidation until he felt like he would explode. When the hem of his cloak snagged on a loose branch he realised the advantage of surroundings with nothing but miles of forest all around.

Severus cut loose.

A flick of his wand and his cloak was snagged no longer, the offending branch nothing but splinters. A harsh whisper and the rich green foliage withered and died, clearing his path. A contemptuous swish and an observing Acromantula, hoping for an easy meal, tumbled out of its web. It did not get up again.

Farther and farther his feet led him until he reached the clearing that he sought. Except for the fact that it was empty.

Looking around, Severus used Occlumency to control his ever rising ire. Had he misunderstood Hagrid's directions? After all, the oaf was incomprehensible at the best of times. Had he made this trip for nothing and would he have to return?

A sheen of almost luminous silver drew his attention. No, he had not come all this way for nothing. _They_ were hiding.

Severus snarled. Of course they were. It wouldn't do for this to be anything but easy. He left the clearing and circled around in an attempt to approach _them_ from the other side, taking care to be quiet this time. While skulking was something that he normally enjoyed – every self-respecting Slytherin did – his hard-earned skills were meant to be applied in civilization. In the forest, animals had no problem detecting his approach.

Every member of the small herd of Unicorns was looking in his direction. Their coats shone with a silvery sheen and their spiralling horns sparkled in the sunlight. They stood gracefully, the very symbol of purity and freedom. Severus was glad there weren't any foals as he wasn't sure he would be able to stand more vomit-inducing displays of false innocence.

A small bush and perhaps two hundred feet of open space were all that separated him from the animals. He stopped moving when they looked ready to bolt. In an attempt to prevent just that he called out.

"Please wait."

Severus laced his voice with as much sincerity as he could muster. He really did need them to stay put – his life _was_ on the line – so he used Occlumency to make his plea sound as genuinely harmless as possible. Thank the heavens no dunderheads were near right now or he might never live this down.

_They_ stayed on their edge of the clearing, looking nervous. Still, their behaviour was encouraging. So far they had not scattered. Perhaps this time things would be easier.

Again he used Occlumency to sound harmless and added a hint of desperation. "I need some of your blood." He wasn't sure he succeeded – desperation was for lesser men than he – but he thought his attempt had sounded genuine enough.

For a moment there was silence and Severus dared to hope. Until they ran.

Severus sighed and rolled his eyes; he should have known better than to dream. Fortunately he had come prepared. He muttered under his breath and a curtain of fire hundreds of feet wide and over ten feet high suddenly appeared, cutting off the Unicorns' escape route. It was only an illusion, since no magic he knew could create such a large barrier as quickly. Besides, he couldn't actually harm the creatures; the wretched animals extracted a harsh punishment from all who dared. Severus would avoid such a cursed life at all costs.

Years ago, in his first and only attempt at acquiring Unicorn blood he had been so afraid of the consequences that he had resorted to completely passive measures. For days on end he had followed a herd, pleading. Unable to retaliate he had been trampled, bit, and eventually stabbed by their horns until he was left a bleeding wreck. Though he had been successful in the end, his required week long stay in St. Mungo's had soured his accomplishments tremendously. That, and having to act like a whiny brat had been nothing short of appalling. Then and there he had decided to avoid any and all future interactions with the four legged monsters.

As he watched this herd stampede and eye the illusion of fire he thought of Fate and how she surely must be laughing at him right now. Especially when the Unicorns' innate magic allowed them to see through the deception and run right through the flames.

Swearing, Severus ran in pursuit of a large specimen, crashing through the brush as he did so. The animal was on its home ground, fast and nimble, but he was a wizard and by Merlin he would show the beast.

Orchestrating his surroundings he called forth real fire this time, causing the animal to whinny in panic and back away. An explosion somewhere else caused it to turn its head. Trees fell, creating barriers too tall to leap. He could not land a spell on it directly, so time and time again he redirected the creature, never quite fast enough to box it in. Before long he was panting in exhaustion.

The merry chase ended when Severus caught a break and managed to levitate a conjured rope around the animal's neck. The other end was immediately fixed to a nearby tree and the Unicorn was finally caught.

Muttering a litany of curses Severus took stock of his health. Cuts lined his face and arms after running through the brush. He ran a hand through his hair and it came out with twigs and leaves. At some point he had fallen due to the rough terrain so he had plenty of bruises to complete the collection.

A conjured chair provided him the means to sit and he was grateful for the chance to catch his breath.

When he was a bit more composed and when the urge to forcibly render the animal into potions ingredients for putting him through that had receded somewhat Severus glanced at the stallion. It was nervous, but no longer panicked. Its eyes shone with power and a fierceness that left him wary. It was none too happy at having its freedom curtailed and theirs was a crafty species. He would need to keep his guard up.

Deciding to stay at a safe distance Severus focused his Occlumency once more. He would need all his wits about him now. Ranting at the four legged menace would be satisfying, but ultimately counterproductive.

"I find myself in a bit of a bind, pardon the pun." Severus was careful in how he modulated his voice. He didn't think the animal could understand him beyond a basic level, but he needed to establish some sort of rapport. Regardless of his thoughts, he needed to _sound_ calm and collected.

"I have been ordered, on pain of death, to acquire the blood of a Unicorn."

It was somewhat awkward to speak to an animal as if it were intelligent. He never did have much patience for beasts in general, other than the sliced and diced variety. Occlumency came in useful once again as he locked those feelings away. Must not upset the bloody beast.

"Whereas it can be bought, it loses its potency if it is not willingly given." Severus elucidated. "The potion that I need it for requires blood of a Unicorn, willingly given... _to the brewer._" He couldn't help the disgust that entered his voice as he all but spat the last. Brewing was his calling; fetching ingredients was beneath him.

He eyed the animal again, seeing that it had calmed somewhat while he spoke. "I do not profess to be a good man, so I am under no delusions that one of your kind would ever acquiesce to this without proper motivation. A similar event many years ago only strengthens my hypothesis." Severus suppressed a shudder in remembrance.

Never taking his eyes of his captive Severus got to the point. "You are a Unicorn, quite literally a shining symbol of a innocence and purity. Without your aid, I will die." He let that hang in the air for a moment. "Until I have that aid, neither of us shall leave this place."

How far the great had fallen. He, Severus Snape, youngest Potions Master in the whole of Europe, invaluable asset to the two greatest sorcerers in Britain, was reduced to blackmailing a glorified horse.

* * *

The next thirty-six hours felt ten times as long and were every bit as dreadful as he'd feared.

The Unicorn's innate magic helped it escape twice and Severus had to recapture it and lead it back, incurring new injuries in the process. His left arm was broken when the animal had gotten in a lucky kick and he now walked with a limp as his ankle was twisted. If the thing got away from him again he wasn't sure if he'd manage to recapture it.

He had tried to reason with the creature, to no effect. Threats proved useless, Legilimency was ineffective and all coercion seemed doomed to fail. He was tired, hungry, and his nerves were frayed. If he didn't succeed his life was forfeit, but he hadn't been able to come up with another plan. With his blackened soul Unicorns would not deal with him. His current actions were his only recourse. And now this Merlin-forsaken pretender of all that was good and right was refusing to save his life! It was maddening!

"Please," he begged, and for a second his Occlumency failed him as genuine despair poured out.

Lo and behold, the animal stilled.

They eyed each other for what seemed hours, neither of them moving until slowly, ever so slowly, the Unicorn turned its head and lightly bit at its flank. In a rush Severus approached and held a vial to the trickle of blood with shaking hands.

"Thank you," he said, honestly grateful that he could finally get out of here and back to civilization. Never again would he go through such an ordeal. He told himself it was a clever ploy, to show despair like that, his Occlumency already hard at work to distance himself from what had happened. Yes, a very clever ploy indeed.

A flick of his wrist dispelled the bonds that held the Unicorn in place and Severus turned to leave, intent on getting to his quarters as swiftly as his feet would allow.

The sound of clopping hooves alerted him, but it was already too late as Severus felt a sharp pain in his left side where the horn had gored him. He fell, rolled and aimed his wand, but the beast was already fleeing, giving a last satisfied snort before disappearing between the trees.

Severus's hand came away from his side, thick with blood and he quickly conjured a bandage. He had to use his right hand to keep pressure on it to staunch the flow as best he could. With his other arm broken that left him without a way to hold his wand. It was dark and he had a long trek to make before reaching the safety of the castle.

As Severus wearily got started on his journey he felt reaffirmed in his belief that Unicorns were all massively mislabelled. They were evil creatures, the lot of them.

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A/N: This was written in response to J.F.C's Unicorn Challenge.

Thank you for your thoughts.  
-brainthief


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